At Collage.com, which creates photo books, blankets, calendars and other items using people’s photos, many customers want to use online chat rather than the phone — and that helps the company serve more clients, says marketing director Graham Davis.

“We can do five or six chats at once,” Davis says, whereas staffers can talk to only one customer at a time on the phone and calls can last up to 30 minutes. Collage.com’s live chat volume rose 28 percent from 2014’s fourth quarter, the company’s busiest time of year, to the same period of 2015.

Try our live chat for yourself the next time you place an order and let us know what you think!